Hmmm...

Why Abortions Are Down in America

No one really knows, but both sides of the abortion debate are claiming victory, because let's face it, whether you support the right to have an abortion or not, no one really wants there to be a lot of abortions out there. That's why pro-choicers support things like contraception and family planning, and pro-lifers support getting clinics to close down and providing alternative services that encourage women to keep or adopt out their babies.

It does seem like women are exercising their right to choose to have an abortion or to choose to have the baby; that's a good thing. It does trouble me that 35% of women do not have local access to a clinic--87% of counties in the country do not have one.

I'm one of those people who doesn't think abortion would be my choice personally, and it shouldn't be used instead of birth control, but I think it's an important option to remain available especially for women who are unable to care for a child, raped, endangered by the pregnancy, etc. I'd rather have each child loved and cared for rather than neglected, resented, or abused. I don't think having an abortion is an easy decision; I've known three people who had them. I think in two of the cases they made the right decision at the time. The third I'm not sure about; she was married with children and just got pregnant at the drop of a hat, which indicates that something wasn't working with family planning. Still, fewer abortions--that's a good thing.